Brahmastra Part 1 - Shiva Ending Explained: Decoding the Finale of Ranbir Kapoor-Alia Bhatt Starrer, the Secret Cameo and How They Expand the Astraverse (SPOILER ALERT)

Whether the movie makes enough money to get that sequel or not remains to be seen, but at least Ayan Mukerji seems confident enough to announce Astraverse in the opening credit of Brahmastra, add 'Part 1 Shiva' to the movie's title and then throughout the movie, keep adding building blocks to a larger universe. Even Marvel Cinematic Universe makers weren't this confident when they made the first Iron Man movie in 2008. Brahmastra Movie Review: Ranbir Kapoor-Alia Bhatt's Astraverse Saga is Ayan Mukerji's Weakest Film Shrouded in Dazzling Visual Display (LatestLY Exclusive).

So we were not surprised when Brahmastra Part 1 - Shiva ends with a tease of what to expect in the sequel, if and when that happens, along with revealing the name - Part 2 - Dev. Now who is Dev and why his name is on that slate will be explained further, but you can only go ahead after understanding that the below article is filled with SPOILERS. So read ahead with caution.

Before we get into the sequel hook, let's recall what happened in the CGI-laden, action-packed climax.

Shiva and Gang vs Junoon and Mind-Zombies

A super-powered Shiva and the rest of Guru's Astra-wielding students, with the help of Guru and Isha (who has no powers and often needs rescuing), take on Junoon and her army. While they try their best to stop her, Junoon gets hold of all the three pieces of Brahmastra and piece them together thus invoking its mega-destruction power to the universe. Junoon is thrown away to her presumed death by the force of its power. The survivors of the fight await their doom, but Shiva faces his back to the incoming blast of astra power to protect Isha, and in doing so, he invokes what Guru says is the greatest power of all - 'Love'.

Why it may sound corny and also familiar, since the same statement has been made in movies like The Matrix, Harry Potter and Interstellar, Love being the astra powerful enough to stop Brahmastra makes sense in Shiva's case. Let's remember that the existence of Shiva comes when the powerful being Amrita made undefeatable Dev fall in love with her, and thus winning over his deadly ambitions with Love. And it was for his love for Isha, when Shiva was able to be in touch with his powers.

So anyway, while he invokes the power of Love, Shiva shows he still has magical tricks hidden within himself when he sprouts additional pair of hands to shield Isha and in turn, invoke counter-energy to control and contain Brahmastra and return it to being a stone disc. The threat to the universe is now contained, and everything seems at peace.

Or not.

Dev Rises Again

While Brahmastra may have been contained, Junoon was successful in her attempt to break Dev, or Agnidev, out of his huge stone statue form in the island where he was trapped. The Thanos of Astraverse and also father to Agni - unless Guru did a reverse 'Obi Wan Kenobi' and lied to Shiva about it - the sequel will definitely see Shiva vs Dev, son taking on father a la Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.

What We Expect in Part 2 - Dev

While the stage will definitely be set for Dev vs Shiva, I expect the some portion of the sequel to be a prequel as well. This portion should delve into how Dev become this being powerful enough to wield Brahmastra, and what led to his downfall. Of course, I am also curious to see more of how Amrita and Dev fell in love, even though she was supposed to conquer him in war, and what happened between them that Dev got trapped in a statue and Amrita decided to ditch.

It is important to note that Shiva got his powers from his father, but is it Shiva who was responsible for what happened to his mother being set aflame (who is teased to be played by Deepika Padukone)? Or is it Dev? Is Amrita really dead? We see the scene from the POV of a baby, which ain't conclusive, so that means the door is still open for Amrita to make a return. If that's the case, will the threequel be Part 3 - Amrita?

As for who should play Amrita and Dev, the answer to the former is already teased and nearly confirmed. As for the latter, I have seen names like Ranveer Singh and Hrithik Roshan being thrown around. While both are great choices, especially Ranveer, I have a different opinion - I want Ranbir to play Dev as well. Why you ask? Because it would be awkward that Deepika and Ranveer play parents to Ranbir, especially considering Ranbir and Deepika used to date at one point of time. What say?

I am also curious to know how many more astras and members of Brahmanch are out there. Or at least develop some of them that we have already met. Like Dimple Kapadia's character, for example. Save for the fact that she can pilot a chopper, we don't know anything else about her. What about Junoon? Is she really killed when Brahmastra unleashed its power? The sequel also needs to explain how the kids end up being the astras.

Also, is Isha really someone with no powers? Pretty sure after the cold reception that her character got, Ayan might want to give her powers that were inexplicably locked  within her till now. What if the 'love at first sight' between Shiva and Isha is part of a grander design by the universe that they be together?

Like Isha tells Shiva, her name also means Parvathy, and that should mean something for her character than just a casual observation.

Of course, all these theories can only work out if Brahmastra Part 1 - Shiva works at the theatres. So here's us wishing the makers all the very best for the same.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 10, 2022 11:01 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).